Culture and the Evolutionary Process

How do biological, psychological, sociological, and cultural factors combine to change societies over the long run? Boyd and Richerson explore how genetic and cultural factors interact, under the influence of evolutionary forces, to produce the diversity we see in human cultures. Using methods developed by population biologists, they propose a theory of cultural evolution that is an original and fair-minded alternative to the sociobiology debate.

Preface 1. Overview An Informal Sketch of the Dual Inheritance Model The Relationship between Genetic and Cultural Evolution The General Utility of Dual Inheritance Theory Conclusion 2. Some Methodological Preliminaries Darwinian Approach Modeling Complex Phenomena Use of Data In Defense of Mathematical Models In Defense of Analogies Conclusion 3. The Cultural Inheritance System Defining Cultural Inheritance Review of Data from the Social Sciences Models of Cultural Transmission Conclusion 4. Guided Variation and the Evolution of Cultural Inheritance Models of Learning The Force of Guided Variation The Evolution of Cultural Transmission Comparing Genetic and Cultural Transmission Conclusion 5. Biased Transmission and the Sociobiology Debate An Overview of Biased Transmission Models of Direct Bias The Adaptive Consequences of Direct Bias An Evaluation of Sociobiological Hypotheses The Empirical Evidence Conclusion 6. The Natural Selection of Cultural Variations: Conflicts between Cultural and Genetic Evolution Empirical Examples Models of Natural Selection The Evolution of Nonparental Transmission The Interaction of Selection with Direct Bias and Guided Variation The Demographic Transition Conclusion 7. Frequency-dependent Bias and the Evolution of Cooperation Models of Frequency-dependent Bias The Adaptive Advantages of Conformist Transmission Empirical Research on Conformity Conformit Transmission and Cultural Group Selection Conclusion 8. Indirect Bias and the Evolution of Symbolic Traits Evidence for Indirect Bias Models of Indirect Bias The Runaway Process Possible Examples of the Runaway Process Symbolic Culture and the Runaway and Drift-Away Processes Conclusion 9. Conclusion Summary of the Main Results Utility of Dual Inheritance Theory Future Work Conclusion References and Author Index Subject Index